http://mmajunkie.comOMAHA, Neb. – After a slow start and a lost round, Stefan Struve came alive against Dave Herman and took control of his fight with effective striking combinations.

A second-round TKO victory gave Struve his second consecutive win, which came in in the co-main event of UFC on FUEL TV 1.

Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb., played host, and the bout aired live on FUEL TV following prelims on Facebook.

For two heavyweights with handfuls of finishes on their respective resumes, Struve and Herman took their time getting started. The two stood virtually still for the first minute of the fight. Herman attacked the legs to set the pace, and Struve responded with a head kick that was blocked.

Herman eventually closed the distance and clinched, but neither fighter gained an advantage, so Herman went back to attacking the legs. Nearly two minutes elapsed before Struve retaliated with the same attack.

Herman eventually drew first blood with a combination that got Struve’s attention. Yet the Dutch fighter seemed hesitant to engage. A big right hand eventually landed, but he didn’t follow up. Herman, meanwhile, answered with a right hand of his own and kept busy with kicks.

Although he smiled several times after taking a shot, Struve didn’t have too much occasion to do so given his low output.

With the first round soundly in the books for Herman, the two quickly turned up the heat in the second. After catching another punch, Struve took the fight to the mat and immediately threatened by getting back mount. Herman, though, was able to escape.

The exchange seemed to improve Struve’s striking game, as well. A huge body kick landed, and more leg kicks followed. Herman tried to keep up, but his deficit in power was suddenly apparent. One big combination opened up a welt under his left eye, and he got on his bicycle.

Perhaps he didn’t see it coming, but a combination including a jab, leg kick and uppercut dropped Herman, and in a flash, Struve had taken mount position. Herman flopped helplessly, but there was no escaping the position. After more punches landed, referee Josh Rosenthal called off the fight at the 3:52 mark of the second round.

“I can still get like 10 times better,” Struve said afterward. “I’m 23. I turned 24 on Saturday.”

With 10 UFC fights under his belt, Struve (22-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has fought a good portion of the significant heavyweight division’s talent. But tonight’s victory could earn him a shot at a top-five opponent.

The colorful Herman (21-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) sees a three-fight win streak snapped and suffers the first loss of his UFC career.

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